Assorted Individual Danish Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the icing: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine powdered sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cold water. Mix until the ingredients have dissolved.
• Add marshmallow creme and microwave for 5 seconds, or until the creme is soft enough to fold into the mixture. Stir until smooth. Add whipped topping and stir again, until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate the icing until you're ready to ice the Danish.
• To make the Danish: In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, oats, granulated sugar, soymilk, and almond extract, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in cherries and set aside. This is your filling.
• Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Roll out the dough on the sheet into a large rectangle of even thickness. If using crescent roll dough, pinch together perforated seams to seal. Arrange baking sheet in front of you so that the short sides are on the left and right and the long sides are on the top and bottom. Spoon the cherry filling lengthwise across the middle third of the dough, leaving 1/2-inch borders on the left and right of the filling.
• Starting from the top, make 12 vertical cuts-about 1 inch apart-along the top section of the dough, stopping about 1/2 inch from the filling. Repeat with the bottom section of the dough. This will create 1-inch-wide strips of dough on both the top and bottom of the filling.
• Alternate folding the 1-inch strips from the top and the bottom over the filling, covering the filling completely and creating a crisscrossed, "braided" appearance. When you reach the last few strips, cross them toward the middle of the Danish. After all the strips have been folded, fold the left and right sides of the dough in toward the filling, so the filling cannot escape, and pat firmly to seal.
• Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry is crispy and golden brown. Allow it to cool completely.
• Just before serving, stir icing and drizzle it over the entire Danish. Cut Danish into 8 slices and indulge! (P.S. Refrigerate leftovers.)
• PER SERVING (1/8th of recipe, 1 slice): 147 calories, 5g fat, 312mg sodium, 22.5g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 10g sugars, 4g protein

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!
• Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.
• Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Add the egg whites to a bowl and whip with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Mix together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and buttermilk to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until no lumps remain. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Transfer the batter to a pitcher for easy pouring into the pan.
• Heat the ebelskiver pan over medium heat. Drizzle each hole with approximately 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Test the heat of the pan with a teaspoon of the batter; it should bubble immediately. When the pan is hot enough, fill each hole to the top with the batter. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, then poke the middle of each pancake ball with a skewer and give the pancake ball a quarter turn. Wait 1 minute, then turn completely over. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more. The pancake balls are done once a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve topped with strawberry jam.

Steps:

• REMONCE: Cream the butter, sugar (and cinnamon, if added). Keep refrigerated till ready to use. Let soften at room temperature to spreadable consistency before using. (makes 1/2 cup ).
• STREUSEL FILLING: Whisk together the flour and sugar. Drizzle in the melted butter as you mix.(Makes 3/4 cups).
• CHEESE FILLING: Blend the sugar with the softened cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Don't over-beat or aerate. Mix in the yolk and chill until firm.
• GLAZE: Whisk a very small amount of milk into the sugar until all the lumps are gone. Continue to add milk, a few drops at a time, until it ribbons off the whisk (Makes 1/2 cup).
• TO ASSEMBLE PASTRIES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll each sheet of puff pastry out to a rectangle measuring a little larger than 20x10". Cut into 20 (5-inch) squares.
• TURNOVERS: Spread each with filling of your choice. Using egg wash, brush two edges of each square.Fold over to make triangle shapes.Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Cut three small diagonal slits in the top of the turnovers.
• Brush lightly with more egg wash and sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• DANISH: While still warm, brush lightly with warmed apricot jam. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and then drizzle with glaze.
• PINWHEELS: Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar onto squares. Brush two edges of the square with egg wash. Cut a slit from each corner almost into the center, stopping just short of the center. Fold every other tip into the center, overlapping them, and press firmly.
• Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the center down with your finger where the tips overlap. Fill with 1/2 rounded teaspoon jam or filling.
• Brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with some coarse sugar,.Bake about 20 minutes, or until nicely colored.
• ENVELOPES: Turn the square so that a point is at the top. Put and elongated mound of about 2 tablespoons of cheese filling from top to bottom. Egg wash the side corners. Fold one corner over the filling and press firmly. Fold the other end over the top and press very firmly to seal.
• Place on lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar and some chopped chocolate. Bake about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned (Or spread with lemon curd and then cheese filling and garnish before baking with toasted sliced almonds.).
• CHEESE POCKETS: Place a rounded tablespoon of cheese filling in the middle of the square. Brush the corners with egg wash. Fold two opposite sides up and press firmly, as in the envelopes above. Bring the bottom corner up and press firmly over the fold. Lastly, bring the top corner up and across the fold and pinch it to seal.
• Egg wash and sprinkle the top with streusel. Bake about 25 minutes, until nicely browned.